Of Time and Trains

Of Time and Trains

One fine April day a man stood waiting for his train. It was a day like any other, and the man was certainly starting to feel in a rut. “If only something would happen!” he thought, “Anything! Just something different is all I ask for!”

The man then noticed that someone had tapped his right shoulder, he turned to see an old man dressed in some rather odd clothes: an old suit that must have contained all the history of the world.

“Dear fellow I must confess I have been keeping an eye on you these past few months and here taken notice of many a quiet and kind deed done by yourself. You are a good man and I would like to reward you with a single wish for all the kindness that you have shown to others.”

The man thought for a moment, but not much longer. “The future, sir I want to be sent to the future!” Space ships and flying cars flashed through his mind, dreams from a childhood long since passed. “As you desire kind sir, I am happy to oblige, I wish you the best.”

There was a bright flash and the man opened his eyes and rubbed them a few times. He eyed the clock on the train station wall. It was the same date, in fact only twenty minutes had passed. He had missed his train home. “Damn.”